Brothers After All
by Kosaka
Summary: sequel to "Not that He Cared". Rated for some violence and potty mouth. Angsty with fluffiness towards the end. Inuyasha completes the Shikon Jewel, and makes a difficult decision. some ooc at the end, i think.(yeah crappy summary, i know) COMPLETE.
1. Chapter One: Broken

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.well, poop.  
  
Thanks to people who reviewed "Not that he Cared". It was supposed to be a one-shot, but somebody demanded a sequel!!! Made me feel so loved! Haha. Ilovesesshomaru166..thanks! I love him too.but well, duh.  
  
And Asylum, you're also part of the reason I decided to go ahead with this.your thoughts about Inuyasha and about what happens afterwards got my brain going again(technically that's bad since I've got about five other fanfics in the works at the moment, plus some original stuff, but, well, they'll still be there later, I suppose, so no big thang).  
  
What else, what else? (If I'm going to rant I ought to make sure I rant thoroughly, after all. Believe it or not, "Squirrel Love" was actually an alternate title for the fic when I first wrote it, but I decided on "Not that He Cared" and I'm pretty happy with that decision. Ranting ranting.what else do I wanna say..  
  
Ah right! Emme! I know I have a tendency for writing extremely long paragraphs, and some that just look that way b/c I don't tab or space between them.pretty much.ever, and when I uploaded the story half the spaces I DID have, disappeared! I didn't feel like going back to reformat it, so I just left it. Um.will try to press the "enter" key more often if you think it'll help. And.my lips are sealed. *smirks*  
  
Shichan, your wish is my command! Ah Sess..Ah Kawaii.Ah Sess is Kawaii.but if I didn't think so I wouldn't be writing about him!!!  
  
Thanks to everyone again. It is much appreciated.  
  
Oh, yeah.erm.Summary.right. (I didn't forget about it.really I didn't.) This here sequel I think may have to be chaptered, b/c my idea for it became a little larger than I'd intended and it'll be a reaaaalllllyyyy long one-shot (as if that's stopped me yet).I'm anticipating about three chapters probably, and it will answer the question "what happens afterwards?" Does Inuyasha complete the Shikon Jewel, even without Kagome's help? If he does, what does he decide to do with it? And what about Sess and Kagome? Do they get to live happily ever after even though Kagome is mortal and Sess is destined to watch her age and die? Read and see!!! Oh, uh, there's gonna be more Inuyasha in this one, though I don't think it'll be all inuyasha, probably hop back and forth between Inu and Sess/Kag. Will try to make mention of the other chars too. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to work Rin into this story, since she wasn't in "Not that He Cared", and I like her! She's cute! Well, okay, so I have one idea, but of course, pulling it off would require a sequel to my sequel! (Gyah! Vicious cycle!) Hrm.. well, I think this one will probably be darker and more angsty than the last one. *chews lower lip*. Don't hate me.  
  
Anyway, on with the story!!!!  
  
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"Brothers After All"  
  
by: Banshee Puppet  
  
Chapter One: Broken  
  
It had been difficult, without Kagome, completing the jewel, but somehow he had managed it.  
  
"Feh! I don't need her! I don't need anyone! Not anymore," Inuyasha scoffed, but it still hurt. He still felt.broken. And alone--so alone, so cold and alone. He had left it all behind when she'd gone, everything-- Miroku and Sango, Shippo--everything. The fox kit still followed him around, but it wasn't the same as it had been. It was quieter, more subdued. And he hated looking into Shippo's eyes because he saw endless concern there, for him, pity. He saw pity and sadness.  
  
Everyone missed Kagome, but not in the way that Inuyasha missed her, not in the way that it tears your guts apart until you feel like you'll wretch, or explode, or disappear.and Inuyasha also knew something else....If any of those things DID happen to him.nobody would notice. It would be like being pinned to the God Tree for fifty years. Nobody would care. Nobody ever cared but her--and one other person--one other person who shared her face.  
  
A frown creased Inuyasha's brow. "Kikyo," he muttered sadly. "She hates me now, but--" he sighed. 'Hate is almost like love, isn't it?' he thought. Miroku, that lecherous monk had said something like that once.that you can only hate the ones you love, or once loved. It was true, of course it was-because--only when you let someone in, when you trust them with all your heart, can they hurt you. . . or. . . you can hate the people who take away the things you love.  
  
Inuyasha remembered what he planned to do and smirked. In the end, it was his own fault, he knew, but he still felt betrayed. He still wanted. . . revenge.  
  
How to use the jewel? Of course he knew. The decision had been made long ago, since that day, that moment. . . when she left him and had the gaul to tell him to seek happiness. Well, that's exactly what he intended to do, making his brother suffer would make him VERY happy. Watching him shatter. Waiting for death, craving death, just as he himself had--just in the same way--and Inuyasha knew just how to do it.  
  
He would use the jewel to become a full youkai, and then he would kill Kagome. He would kill her, the woman who shattered the heart he had trusted her with, his brother's woman. That would show Sesshomaru, once and for all, how badly it hurt--to be. . . alone, all alone--with no hope and no future. He would make Sesshomaru suffer as he had suffered, for stealing Kagome from him. Then they would be the same: the same blood, the same emptiness-brothers after all.  
  
And Kagome? Kagome would die. . . Kagome would be. . . gone. Inuyasha shook his head, tightened his resolve. Kagome was already gone. It had been seventeen months since she had left, almost to the day. And he knew as well as anyone that she wasn't coming back.  
  
He could feel power rushing into him, the power of the shikon no tama granting his wish. . . to be, once and for all, a demon. It was almost done now. . .  
  
"Damnit!" he muttered, dropping the tetsusaiga and looking blankly at the steam rising from the burns the blade had left on his hand. He stared for a moment, then smirked. "Heh, as if I need you anymore anyway. I'm a demon, now. I'm not gonna waste my time protecting any stupid humans anymore," he said.  
  
"I---Inu---yasha?" Shippo squeaked as he approached from behind, not sure what was going on. He'd thought. . .he'd been led to believe that Inuyasha planned to use the jewel to become human. . . to move on. . . but didn't Inuyasha's human form have black hair?  
  
Inuyasha turned, striped markings on either cheek and the backs of his wrists. He stared at the kit for a moment, before smirking at the terrified anger and hurt on the boy's expression.  
  
"Y-you. . . but Inuyasha you said you were gonna use the jewel to become human! You said. . . !" Shippo squeaked and backed up as Inuyasha cracked his knuckles experimentally.  
  
"I know what I said, Shippo," he replied flatly. "I lied."  
  
Inuyasha tightened one fist slowly. So much power. 'It would be so easy,' he thought. 'To just. . . kill him. So simple. . . and he'd be gone.' He looked up at Shippo and stared for a moment. 'Damn, what am I thinking? I don't want to kill Shippo! Why did I think about that just now? I like Shippo, you'd never guess by the way I treat him but. . . I do. But I just thought about killing him. . . why?' An involuntary shiver runs up Inuyasha's spine, and his eyes widen slightly as he thinks about it, and finds no answer.  
  
"I. . . I HATE YOU!!!!" Shippo squeals and runs off, crying.  
  
'Yes. Go. Run away,' Inuyasha thinks. 'Because the only person I really want to kill. . . is her.'  
  
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okay! One chapter done! I was originally thinking three chapters, but that means probably five or six (I mean, I intended for "Falling Over You" to be a one shot, after all.) Next chap will be Sess/Kag, or at least mostly so, Inuyasha will come in towards the end, and I think there'll be another small Shippo appearance(but don't quote me on that, it might unfold differently than I plan at the moment). Um. . . well, I could say more, but I think it would ruin the suspense. Inuyasha may be a LITTLE ooc, but I don't think too bad, all things considered. R&R pwease. 


	2. Chapter Two: Doll Like Eyes

"Brothers After All"  
  
Chapter Two: Doll-like Eyes  
  
Sesshomaru lowered his paint brush and cocked his head slightly to the left at Kagome. "You're thinking again," he stated. He could always tell, because when she thought, she got unusually quiet.  
  
Kagome blushed. It was embarrassing that he could still make her blush so easily, even after almost a year and a half of being together, but she HAD been thinking. She'd been thinking a lot lately. Maybe they both had.  
  
"Y-yeah. I was," she answered.  
  
Sesshomaru smirked. Her face had gotten all red again. It was one of those things about her that he considered "cute", and endeared her further to him every time she did it. His human. His Kagome. The truth was, he'd been thinking a lot lately too. But that was not unusual; he was always thinking about something. Though, lately, ALL of his thoughts were about her.  
  
He put his painting aside and moved the few feet to sit beside her on the bench. Spring had come again, and the scent of wild lilies mixed well with her scent. He could drown in it, really, and he wouldn't have minded it all, if that was the last moment of his life. As long as he was with her, nothing else mattered.  
  
He frowned internally, remembering his own thoughts as of late. He had been thinking about how he wouldn't get to keep her, how he couldn't have her forever, how she would age, and die. Sesshomaru had watched her over this past year and a half; she had grown from the young girl he fell in love with. Her shape became more womanly-hips fuller, waist slightly more narrow, and her scent had shifted slightly, hardly perceptibly, but he'd noticed it. She was still. . . quite young, but no longer a girl. A young woman. And young women became old women, and old women died. He hated to think of it, because he loved her. . . so much. He'd decided, he didn't care how old she got, he would keep her with him to the very end, if he could.  
  
"Go ahead and talk about it. I know you want to," he said softly. "It's not in your nature to keep things in." He said it as if it was fact, but it was there, just the barest hint of humor. He was teasing her again.  
  
Kagome turned her face up to him to look in his eyes and crinkled her nose slightly, as if to say the joke was not appreciated.  
  
Sesshomaru couldn't suppress a small chuckle, and kissed her wrinkled nose. Amusement and affection on his voice, he said, "Talk."  
  
"Tomorrow is Tuesday," Kagome told him with a frown as she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Tuesday. . . ?" he asked, prodding her to get to the point.  
  
"Well. . . I have a test on Thursday. . ." she said biting her lower lip. "So I. . ."  
  
Sesshomaru sighed. "You have to go back to that other place again," he frowned at her. This was the other thing he hated. He loved her, wanted to be with her all the time, but she always had to go to some other place that he'd never heard of, and she insisted he would hate, and he was never allowed to go with her there, which meant stretches of time with no Kagome. He could hardly stand it. She had this whole other life that had nothing to do with him.  
  
"I don't like when you leave," he said flatly, and she knew he was pouting. She looked up at him again and had to suppress a small chuckle. 'A pouting Sess is an adorable Sess,' she thought to herself before resting her head on his shoulder again.  
  
"I don't like being away from you either, you know, but. . . this is important. I have a family, and school. . ."  
  
"But you won't let me meet your family either, or go with you when you go away. And you say they can't come here. . . You know I love you Kagome, and I won't stop you if it's what you wish to do. . . but I don't understand and I won't pretend to."  
  
'I don't get to have you forever,' he thought. 'And every time you go away, even if it's only for a little while, that's a little less of the stolen time I have with you.'  
  
"I know, Sess, but. . . it's complicated."  
  
He was silent for a little while before saying, "how long? When can I expect you back?"  
  
"Four days. I'll be back in Inuyasha's Forest in three days, so I'll be here again in four."  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
"Yeah," Kagome nodded. "I wonder if he's okay."  
  
A long silence extended between them, not particularly uncomfortable, just. . . sad. Sesshomaru used to get very jealous when Kagome would mention Inuyasha-he would worry that he would come along and steal her back-that she still loved Inuyasha more-but he understood now. Inuyasha was someone Kagome cared about, worried about, and that would always be true. A great friend who she had hurt and who she wished very badly would forgive her one day. No, he wasn't jealous any longer. He knew Kagome loved him most. And though their relationship had some obvious complications. . . they were happy. Being with Kagome, no matter what, was all that Sesshomaru desired. To be near her, to hold her. . . he'd never known such happiness, and sometimes, he felt that he was drowning in her love.  
  
"Four days," Sesshomaru whispered.  
  
"Yeah. It feels like forever, doesn't it?" Kagome replied, nuzzling deeper into his warmth.  
  
"Promise me, Kagome. That you'll let me meet them one day. . . your family. It doesn't have to be today, or even a month from now, but. . . eventually. I want to know them, the people who I share your heart with. You talk about them so much that I've gotten curious, after all."  
  
A few tears welled up in Kagome's eyes. "I promise, Sess, someday. . . if you really want to, then, I'll think of something," she told him.  
  
'He wants to meet my family,' she thought. 'God! Every time I think I can't possibly love him any more. . . every time he does something that. . . but there's so much I haven't told him. So much that he doesn't know. . .' Kagome thought. 'I feel guilty, but. . . how would he take it, knowing I'm from a different time. . . the future even? Would he think I was crazy, or what? And. . . can I really take him through the well with me? Do I have any right to do that? I want to. . . god do I ever want to! But how weird would that be? Mom, Sota, I'd like you to meet Sesshomaru, my boyfriend, he's a demon and Lord of the Western Lands in the feudal era. Yeah, right. They thought Inuyasha was cute, but if mom started petting Sess's tail I think he'd have a fit!' Kagome chuckled at that last thought. And then she thought about it some more and started giggling.  
  
"Hm?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her sudden fit of giggles. "What in the world is so amusing?" he asked.  
  
"Oh. . .uh. . .hehe. . . well, I was just. . . haha. . .thinking. . . hahaha." Kagome crinkled her nose and shook off the silly thought, but couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she ran her fingers through the soft fur of her love's tail, sending shivers up Sesshomaru's spine.  
  
"Don't DO that," he told her.  
  
She smirked up at him and pet his tail again, deliberately this time. "How're you gonna stop me?" she teased. 'I'll tell them soon,' she thought. 'That I've decided to live in the feudal era with Sess, forever. . . I'll tell them soon. . . that I won't be coming back again. . . and maybe someday, I'll have the courage to take him there, to meet them, to show him once and for all, the life I had, before there was him.'  
  
A soft, somewhat playful growl came out of the back of his throat as he ran clawed fingers along her jaw line, gently, giving her shivers of her own, and, looking lustily into her eyes, asked, "when do you have to leave?"  
  
"A-after lunch," she breathed as he wrapped his tail around her waist, and smiling softly at her reply, he kissed her. . .  
  
'Even if Inuyasha's brother really scares me, I've gotta warn Kagome. She deserves to know what Inuyasha did!' Shippo panted, making his way back to where he'd last seen Inuyasha and finding that, as he had thought, the tetsusaiga had been left behind.  
  
Shippo cringed. 'This is sooooooo bad! What if Inuyasha gets all creepy and red-eyed again! He's a big monster when he gets like that! And really dangerous! I'll take the sword to Kagome, she'll know what to do!' he decided as he used every bit of muscle to lift the tetsusaiga before heading in the direction of the Western Lands. "Inuyasha, if you hurt Kagome, I'll never ever forgive you, you bastard!" he huffed.  
  
"Sess, I really have to go now if you don't want me wandering around by myself in the middle of the night, and we both know you don't," Kagome said, Sesshomaru embracing her in the doorway to his estate.  
  
"I know," he replied. "One more kiss? I'm not going to see you for almost a week, you know."  
  
Kagome blushed. Sesshomaru really didn't embarrass very easily, even with Jaken standing a few feet off to his right, trying to suppress the urge to gag. "O-okay," she replied, and they kissed again, gently, affectionately.  
  
"I can meet you in Inuyasha's forest, you know," he told her.  
  
"I know, but. . . it's okay. It's only one more day."  
  
"Yes. Exactly. An entire day," he replied calmly.  
  
Kagome giggled. "You're so impatient. But you have to let me go, because I have to go now," she said.  
  
"And I'M the impatient one," he teased in his usual flat tone, but flipped his tail back up over his shoulder. "If you aren't back by dusk on the fourth day, I WILL start looking for you."  
  
"I'll see you soon," Kagome said and started to leave before he stopped her again.  
  
"W-what?" she asked.  
  
"Jaken, the package," Sesshomaru called.  
  
"Y-yes, Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken hurried with a small brown-wrapped package over to the pair, trying his best to not look disgusted by the displays of affection his master had a habit of these days.  
  
"What's this?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Your lunch," he answered as if it were obvious.  
  
"My. . . " Kagome blushed, remember just what they'd been doing when she was supposed to be eating lunch.  
  
"I didn't give you much time to eat, so I had it packed for you. Now get going if you're going."  
  
"Ah, thanks! I'll see you soon!" she called behind her as she started to run off. But when she reached the tree line, she turned as if she'd forgotten something and turned, calling back, "Love you!" before turning and starting off again.  
  
Sesshomaru couldn't help a small smile and lifted his hand to wave, "Love you more," he called back and watched until she was out of sight before returning inside.  
  
Inuyasha sniffed the air. He would never forget that scent, and he growled low in his throat. It was Kagome, and HIS smell was all over her, and something else, faint now, but unmistakable. The betrayal stabbed deep in his chest, leaving a deep wound and strengthening his resolve for the task at hand. He had mated with her. She had mated with him. The two people he loved and hated the most had. . . he growled again, louder this time, rage filling him, making his blood boil.  
  
Kagome gasped and jumped slightly, looking around. "W-who's there?" she asked, fearing that it may be more of a what. She'd definitely heard it that time, a growl, deep, guttural, like an animal in pain. She gulped. "H-hello?"  
  
"Aiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!!" she screamed, the claws coming into her vision first and it was. . . too late. She saw flashes of her own blood as she fell to the ground, eyes widened in horror at what she saw looming over her.  
  
"I. . . Inu---ya-sha? W----why?" she asked, finding it very hard to speak, or even move, her quickly blurring vision focused on his blood-covered claws, knowing, this was her blood. Inuyasha had not forgiven her, and maybe he never would.  
  
He struck before he had the chance to look at her, to see her, because he knew he might not be able to go through with it if he'd thought, even for a second. And now, seeing her lying there, dying, it was all he could do to not vomit. Why? She asked. Why indeed.  
  
"Because I loved you!!!" he hollered at her, falling to his knees limply beside her as the life quickly drained from her eyes, his words stinging tears down both of their cheeks.  
  
"I-nu. . ." it was more of a gurgle than an attempt at speech, before her heart stopped and her body stared at him with doll-like eyes. Dead, just a body now, a corpse.  
  
"Because I love you," he whispered. "And because he has to pay."  
  
And, burying his head in his hands, for the first time since the day she'd left, Inuyasha allowed himself to cry, strangled sobs escaping his lips, and one long and mournful howl, before he composed himself. Before he took one last look at her lifeless, doll-like eyes, and walked away.  
  
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*ducks flying objects* gyah! In the next chappy, Sesshy finds Kags, Shippo finds Sesshy, and Kikyo finds Inuyasha!!! Angst abounds, in this sad sad sequel to "Not that He Cared". *frowns and sniffles* poor kags, poor sesshy, poor inuyasha! Anybody got a tissue? 


	3. chapter Three: Sesshomaru's Tears

"Brothers After All"  
  
by: Banshee Puppet  
  
Chapter Three: Sesshomaru's Tears  
  
Kikyo stayed upwind and well-hidden to prevent Inuyasha from discovering her. Granted, he was fairly well-distracted, so he probably wouldn't have noticed her if she was standing right next to him, but she wasn't about to take any chances.  
  
'So that girl is finally dead, and Inuyasha is the one who killed her. Interesting,' she thought as Inuyasha left, looking rather down-trodden and pathetic.  
  
She waited a few more moments before sending her soul stealers to claim what, she figured, rightfully belonged to her anyway. The ball of light was claimed from Kagome's chest, and pleased with herself, Kikyo left the body behind to whatever animals would have it.  
  
'Inuyasha, what should I do with you now?' she wondered.  
  
Sesshomaru watched impassively as the sun began to sink over the horizon. 'I know I said dusk,' he thought, 'but she's always been back by this hour before. I think I'll go look for her.' He sighed mentally. 'Kagome, when it comes to you, I'm just so weak.' "Jaken, I'm going to get Kagome. I'll return in the morning," he said flatly before heading away from his home.  
  
It didn't take him long to find her; she wasn't even half a day away from his estate, lying in the road. Lying dead in the road.  
  
His usually impassive features stiffened, his lip quivered. 'Whoever did this to you WILL pay,' he thought with a sneer, but there were so many scents here he couldn't locate the right one. And everything was drowned out by the scent of her blood, Kagome's blood, the blood of the one he loved.  
  
Sesshomaru drew the tenseiga from its hilt almost savagely as the anger boiled up in him. But it wasn't such a big deal, he could resurrect her easily enough. She would be fine. SWOOSH. The blade whistled through the air before he dropped it in the sheath again and kneeled beside the dark haired form as she sat up, silently, a vague expression on his face. And even as her blank eyes stared at him, and even as she said nothing, he still told himself. 'She's fine. It's just shock. She's. . . fine.'  
  
Shippo gasped as he saw Kagome and Sesshomaru and. . . so much blood. He'd run this far, hoping to reach the Western Lands before Inuyasha, but he could smell Inuyasha on the road almost the entire way. . . but now, here, the scents were so thick, so muddled, it was hard to decipher just what was going on.  
  
"Kagome!!!!" he called desperately as he ran over, still dragging the tetsusaiga behind him. Reaching the pair he stopped, gasping for breath. "I'm so glad I found you! Inuyasha's done something HORRIBLE!!!!" he squeaked.  
  
Sesshomaru's head snapped up at the voice of the fox kit, and Kagome, she just turned her head, rolling it slightly to the side, staring at Shippo as if he was something curious and inanimate.  
  
Noticing the tetsusaiga, Sesshomaru asked gravely, "what about my brother?"  
  
"He used the jewel to turn himself into a full youkai!" Shippo answered, only a little hesitantly. He might be afraid of Sesshomaru, but he was more afraid of what the demon would do if he didn't answer, than he was afraid of what he would do for giving him an answer he didn't like. "I think he's gonna do something b-bad!" the boy stuttered. "Kagome! What do we do!"  
  
The girl said nothing, just blankly stared from one to the other.  
  
"Kagome, what's wrong?" Shippo asked, bounding up into her lap, tugging on the bottom of her shirt to get her attention. She just looked down at him and said, in an eerily toneless voice. "Yes?"  
  
Shippo gasped and fell backwards.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" he demanded of Sesshomaru before shrinking under the critical golden gaze he gave the kit.  
  
"She's in shock. That's all. Tell me everything you know."  
  
So Shippo went through the details as he had witnessed them, catching his breath at the end of his short tale with a yawn. He'd had missed a lot of sleep in his haste, something children just shouldn't do.  
  
A sinking feeling, like a blade driving slowly deeper, inch by inch, moment by moment, claimed Sesshomaru's chest. Cautiously, he asked, "Kagome, who was it? The name of the person who killed you."  
  
"Inuyasha," she said emotionlessly.  
  
He swallowed hard. 'I thought so. Inuyasha, you WILL pay for this. You caused Kagome pain. I dislike that.'  
  
"You're name is Shippo?" Sesshomaru asked flatly, helping Kagome to her feet, getting the feeling that something was terribly wrong with her every movement. So fragile, so puppet-like, not the slightest hint of anything resembling life.  
  
Shippo nodded. "Y-yeah."  
  
"Take the tetsusaiga and follow me. We'll rest at my estate tonight. In the morning, I am going to hunt Inuyasha down and finish him once and for all. YOU will monitor Kagome for me."  
  
Sesshomaru laid Kagome down on the bed. 'She shouldn't still be like this,' he thought. "Hey," he said, turning her head slightly to lock her gaze. "What happened to that annoying, talkative girl that I love so much, hm?" he asked softly.  
  
Kagome stared at him for a moment and then answered the question frankly. "She isn't here right now."  
  
He scowled, and Shippo, who had just about fallen off to sleep gasped. "Something's wrong!" the kit whined.  
  
Sesshomaru swallowed hard to keep from crying. Yes, something was very very wrong. This was NOT his Kagome. And he didn't know how to get her back.  
  
"S-Sesshomaru?" Shippo asked hesitantly.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"We should take Kagome to Kaede-baba. She'll know what to do. Kaede-baba always knows what to do."  
  
Sesshomaru lay down and pulled the warm, yet unresponsive body tightly against him. He didn't speak for a long moment, trying to will the emotion out of his voice.  
  
"Alright," he said finally. "Tomorrow. You'll show me the way to this Kaede-person tomorrow morning."  
  
Shippo nodded. "O-okay," he said, nuzzling up against Kagome's leg and taking one last look up at Kagome and a demon who's name he knew, almost from birth, was something to be feared, and, in the moonlight, he saw them. . . Sesshomaru's tears. 


	4. Chapter Four: He Asked for Help

Disclaimer: No owny. No suey. . . . Wow, that just sounds sorta. . . wrong.  
  
Mini-rant: Okay, not sure if the last chappy went through, but it says it did, so I guess it did.anyways, here's chapter four! (I know I'm writing kinda short chapters lately, but. . . eh.)  
  
Um, anyway, is it just me or is this fic REALLY REALLY sad! R&R. Two or three more chapters, I think.  
  
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"Brothers After All"  
  
by: Banshee Puppet  
  
Chapter Four: He Asked for Help  
  
"Her soul has been stolen," Kaede said flatly, frowning. 'Again,' the old miko thought.  
  
"But then why can she move, and talk? Kaede-baba, last time Kagome's soul was taken away she didn't move at all. She just laid there," Shippo bounced next to Sesshomaru, who put a hand roughly on the bobbing kit's head and scowled at him as if to say 'stop that, or I'm going to hurt you.'  
  
Shippo "eep" -ed, and sat still.  
  
"I do not know Shippo. Something was left behind, something that couldn't be taken, I suppose. But I know no more what that may be than you do."  
  
"Old woman, just tell me how to get her soul back," Sesshomaru half-hissed.  
  
Kaede sighed. "You're as impatient as your brother," she commented, the name sending flames of anger licking their way up his skin. (metaphorically speaking, of course)  
  
"I am NOTHING at all like that. . . " his lips curled into a sneer and he spat out the last word. He was going to say hanyou, but that was no longer true. ". . . monster!" He growled, clutching his fist tightly, not noticing the venom seeping from his claws at the mere thought of Inuyasha.  
  
"Perhaps you should tell me exactly what has happened," Kaede said.  
  
Sesshomaru took a mental breath, a very very deep breath. He was swallowing what pride he had left just to be here, to find out how to get his Kagome back, and it was hard enough remembering finding her dead in the road without crying like a small helpless child, without. . . and this old miko was forcing the issue.  
  
"Isn't it enough. . . Isn't it enough that I'm. . . " he muttered before turning his steel gaze upon Kaede. "Is it so important to know the details, old woman?" he said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice only half-successfully. "Isn't it enough that I am asking for your assistance."  
  
Kaede just stared at him for a moment, before he said weakly. "Old woman, I am asking for your help. Just tell me what I need to know. How do I turn her back to normal?"  
  
"To receive the proper answer, Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, you must supply me with all the information you can give."  
  
Locked in a mental battle with himself, Sesshomaru was about to try to speak, saying, "I found her. . ." but his voice cracked shamefully and Shippo suddenly opened his mouth again. "Sesshomaru found Kagome dead and used his sword to bring her back to life, but she was brought back to life like this! And when he asked who killed her she said Inuyasha did it. . . and Kaede-baba! Inuyasha used the Shikon no Tama to turn himself into a full-blooded youkai! He's sooo scary!"  
  
"And you say when you revived her she was already like this?" Kaede asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Yes," Sesshomaru said, teeth gritting.  
  
'He really does love her,' Kaede noticed. 'Very much. Who would have thought that a demon known throughout the lands for his cold heart could love anyone so much. But, Kagome is a very special girl.'  
  
"I understand. To regain Kagome's soul, you must dispose of the one who took it from her," Kaede told him. 'And there's only one person at this point in time that can possibly have taken it.'  
  
"Is that all? Well, who is this person, and where do I find them?" Sesshomaru was getting impatient.  
  
"It is. . . not such a simple thing. But the one you seek is a dead miko named Kikyo."  
  
"Kikyo?" Sesshomaru knew that name. His brother had loved a woman by that name once. "How do I find this woman?"  
  
"Trust me, Sesshomaru, you WILL know her when you see her. Kagome is her reincarnation."  
  
He didn't really understand what the woman was talking about, but just now, he didn't really care. He WOULD dispose of this Kikyo, and get his Kagome back. It would be simple.  
  
Inuyasha had been sitting in the same tree for three days. After killing Kagome, he just couldn't fathom what came next at all. The future just seemed to have gone off and left him behind in this weird sort of stasis and he just felt so empty. The only consolation he had, was that Sesshomaru was suffering, that Sesshomaru was in pain. But he wondered, what was taking his older brother so long to come and try to kill him. At this point, he didn't really care who won. Half of him hoped it was Sesshomaru, just so that he wouldn't have to think about what came next, what would happen tomorrow.  
  
That's when a familiar scent wafted by. He sniffed the air. Sure enough, it was just the person he'd been thinking of. 'He still has her scent all over him. I bet he hasn't even bathed or washed off the blood yet,' Inuyasha thought.  
  
He took a deep breath and forced a smirk onto his face. Yes, he was going to enjoy this. . . he was. . . really. Ah, there it was, the old hate, he'd found it. It was so much easier to latch onto in this youkai form. 'She was mine,' he thought with a snarl as he took off after Sesshomaru's scent.  
  
Sesshomaru snarled. "Get out of my way," he demanded of Inuyasha. "I do NOT have time for you right now."  
  
Inuyasha blinked. 'Wait, he's supposed to want to kill me. Well. . . he DOES look mad but. . . he ALWAYS looks mad!'  
  
The fact that Sesshomaru wasn't mad ENOUGH at him infuriated Inuyasha, so he taunted.  
  
"What's the matter, Sesshomaru, got somewhere better to be? I thought you'd be mourning the loss of that slut by now."  
  
Inuyasha blinked. 'When did he get so fast?' he wondered as he found himself pinned up to a tree with Sesshomaru's hand around his throat and his face dangerously close. His eyes, not mournful, not sad, just. . . extremely. Pissed. Off.  
  
"Do NOT think for a SECOND, little brother, that I do not intend to kill you, in some extremely painful manner, for what you did to Kagome. But at the moment, I have more pressing concerns. Kikyo. . . where is she?!" he demanded.  
  
"Kikyo? What does SHE have to do with anything?" Inuyasha blinked. This was not what he had planned. Why wasn't Sesshomaru a broken shell of his former self? He was supposed to be broken, shattered. And what the hell did he want with Kikyo?  
  
"Where. Is. She." Sesshomaru made his demand again.  
  
"How the Hells should I know?!? She hates my guts!" Inuyasha snapped testily. 'Why can I hate him so much, and yet never stay mad at him when he finally shows his rotten, no good face?' Inuyasha thought testily. 'It's not fair!'  
  
Sesshomaru snarled again and dropped his brother. "I WILL deal with you. LATER."  
  
'There he goes,' Inuyasha thought as he rubbed his throat and stared at the retreating form. 'Think I'll follow him.'  
  
Sesshomaru retrieved Kagome from where he had left her when he first caught Inuyasha's scent. "Kagome, come here," he said, at which the figure walked out of the bushes and stood in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her for comfort, trying to give himself strength to last just a little longer, until he could kill this Kikyo--he knew she was somewhere close by, but didn't know where-but her lack of responsiveness only made him feel more helpless.  
  
With a disgruntled snort, he straightened up, wrapping his tail around her waist and saying hollowly, "time to go," before taking off again.  
  
'K-Kagome!?!' Inuyasha's eyes widened. 'B-but how!?!' he wondered. Then he noticed the swords at his brother's hip and could have slapped himself in the head right there. 'Tenseiga, of course. Gyah! I'm such an idiot! Of all the stupid. . . '  
  
Inuyasha heaved a mental sigh. Kagome being alive DEFINITELY put a considerable hitch in what he once thought was a faultless plan, but there was still something very wrong, and he intended to find out what it was. Sesshomaru WOULD suffer. I'll just follow him and see what he wants with Kikyo, and then I'll ruin his plans. Simple right? Yeah, simple.  
  
But things are rarely as simple as they at first seem.  
  
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hokay, this chapter was kind of blegh. I'm so much better at writing fluff than I am at action. *frowns*. Uh. . . anyway, two more chapters should do it, and at the rate I'm going I'll be done in no time. (Then I have to finish typing "Waiting for You". . . I'm such a dork) Erm. . . in the next chapter, we get the "battle" with Kikyo. (Like I said, I suck at fight scenes, so I'll probably end up writing my way around all the action! Don't hate me.) Then I think one more after that to wrap it all up. Kaede and Shippo will probably get one more small camio appearance. Uh. . . why can't I rant properly tonight? Anyway, r&r. . . . blah. Evil Fever of Doom won't let me think straight. Guess that's it. 


	5. Chapter Five: Tears and Blood

"Brothers After All"  
  
by: Banshee Puppet  
  
Chapter Five: Tears and Blood  
  
Kikyo was not hiding. She sat quietly on a flat rock beside the lake and waited, and when Sesshomaru entered the clearing, placing the shell that was now Kagome beside a tree and saying, "sit down and stay put," which the girl did without hesitation, she turned her head and smiled with sweet venom at the taiyoukai. "I thought the great Sesshomaru would have found me sooner," she said, standing.  
  
Sesshomaru's eyes widened. "Ka-gome?" he whispered it, unable to keep the shock out of his expression. His eyes shooting back at the doll-like girl sitting under the tree, and then back at Kikyo.  
  
Kaede's words came back to his mind. 'You will know her when you see her,' she had said. 'Kagome is Kikyo's reincarnation,' she had said. 'The dead miko,' she had said. This woman wasn't supposed to be alive, and she smelled of clay, the body of a doll, but her soul. . . Kagome's soul was inside of that doll. And they looked so much alike, so much. . .  
  
Determination set in his jaw and he drew out the toukijin. "Give Kagome's soul back, or I WILL take it from you," he demanded.  
  
Kikyo gave a small smile, like she was humoring some small child, which only enraged him further. "By all means, come and take it," she said sweetly, stringing an arrow through her bow and holding the weapon up lazily.  
  
'So Kikyo stole Kagome's soul again. Now it makes sense,' Inuyasha thought from his perch on a nearby tree branch. He wasn't really sure how he felt about any of this. 'Feh, like I care,' he told himself. But he did care. He wasn't sure why, but he did care. What happened here today, it was. . . important to him. It. . . mattered.  
  
Sesshomaru sneered. 'Simple, right. She's nothing at ALL like Kagome. Sweet and too-talkative. Nothing at all like Kagome. Nothing,' he told himself as he charged, dodging her arrow easily, but when he moved to strike, he got a look at her face, and in it's shadow, a memory of a smiling Kagome there, waving happily at him. He dove back unthinkingly, protecting the one he loved and shook his head with a disgruntled growl. 'It's not her! Idiot! She's the one who made her like. . . like. . . ' his eyes shot over to the girl sitting beside the tree, just staring at him. 'LIKE THAT!'  
  
Anger flooding through him, he charged again. This time, she was fiddling with the hem of her short skirt, the first time she told him she had to go home for a few days. And he couldn't strike.  
  
Again. Asleep on the washroom floor.  
  
Again. Holding up something that looked like a little octopus with a pair of chopsticks and daring him to eat it.  
  
Again. Leaning in to kiss him for the very first time.  
  
Disgusted with himself, and angry with the dead miko who was now laughing at him, he fell to his knees and punched the ground, balling up dirt in his fist, eyes wide. 'I can't do it. . . Why can't I do it? It's not her but. . .' "Kagome. . ." the name whispered out, and he hadn't even realized he was crying until he heard the name, half-said, half-sobbed, as crystalline tears fell down on the earth in front of him. He slammed his fist into the ground. "I. . . I can't do it," he whispered. "She. . . she reminds me of you. She's not you. . .but. . . KAGOME!!!" he let out a mournful howl and sat back on his knees, looking over at the doll sitting beneath the tree, tears streaking down his cheeks. He turned to Kikyo, disgusted and broken, and said gravely, "Just kill me, I don't want to live without her. . . I can't, really."  
  
Kikyo looked down at him and laughed. "Awfully WEAK of you, Sesshomaru."  
  
"I know," he tried to make his voice a little more steady, but just couldn't, and he didn't care just now about anything, really. "She makes me a weaker man. But it's okay. As long as it's her, I don't want to be strong," he said softly, turning his head to look at the doll beneath the tree that was once his Kagome what he presumed would be one last time. "Please," he whispered to her. "Forgive me."  
  
And he gasped when he saw a tear rolling down her cheek, her lips quivering ever so slightly. Her mouth opened, as if trying to speak, but nothing came out. 'Sess,' she thought hard. 'Sess!' her mind called out as she watched Kikyo lace another arrow in her bow, unable to do anything. And a piercing scream broke the air as the arrow was released. . .  
  
Inuyasha clutched his heart as he watched his brother break down. 'This is what I wanted,' he told himself. 'THIS is what I wanted? How heartless. How cruel. This. . .' he watched, horrified, as Sesshomaru begged Kikyo to kill him, and Kikyo's smirk said she would be more than happy to oblige. His mind screamed at him as his body flung him into motion. 'THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANT AT ALL!!!!'  
  
Before he knew it, he was shoving Sesshomaru out of the way and just barely missing getting pierced by Kikyo's arrow himself. "Idiot!" he hissed at the stunned, tear-streaked face before him. "Just go protect your woman. I'll take care of Kikyo."  
  
"Inuyasha. . . but. . ."  
  
"Just shut up and do it!" Inuyasha hissed.  
  
"Hello, Inuyasha. So we meet again," Kikyo commented.  
  
"Yeah," he returned, scowling. "For the very last time, Kikyo."  
  
Inuyasha extended his claws, but was stopped by Sesshomaru's hand. "Inuyasha."  
  
"Didn't I just say. . . " Inuyasha was about to snap at his older brother again when he saw him holding the toukijin out towards him.  
  
They exchanged a look, like a silent conversation, and with a smirk, Inuyasha took the demon blade.  
  
"Thank you," Sesshomaru whispered. He would forgive him everything, for what he was doing here now. So he did as his brother wished, and moved to Kagome's side, pulling her close to him and watching as Inuyasha charged.  
  
Inuyasha couldn't avoid that arrow and he knew it, so, jaw set in determination, he made his decision. 'It doesn't matter, even if I do die. I'm taking you down with me, Kikyo,' he thought, and charging down visciously, he swiped the toukijin through the air visciously. . .  
  
Kagome gasped, clutching tightly to Sesshomaru's arm. "Inuyasha!" she called out as he fell limply to the ground. The couple hurried to his side, kneeling beside him.  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.  
  
"I. . . I'm sorry, Kagome. I was just. . . so mad."  
  
"Shh. . . don't talk," she said, as Sesshomaru, frowning slightly, took his brother's hand in his own.  
  
"You're an idiot," the elder said flatly.  
  
"Feh. And you're a softie," Inuyasha returned as he smirked up at his brother, who smirked back.  
  
"Hai. I am," Sesshomaru answered softly. 'And you're dying,' he thought. 'Why did you do it?'  
  
"Because," Inuyasha said. "Seeing you crying like that, so sad and broken, it hurt, Sessho----maru. . . you, made me feel what you were feeling. We're brothers, after all."  
  
"Yes," Sesshomaru whispered, brushing some blood streaked hair from Inuyasha's eyes. "Brothers," he replied softly. "Always. . . now be still or your wounds will only get worse."  
  
But Inuyasha knew he was dying, he laid his head back and stared up at the many-hued stars, coughing up a bit of blood. 'If I could take it all back,' he thought. 'I want to take it all back. I shouldn't have wished to become a demon. If I could do it again, my wish would be. . . so much different. I would wish, instead, for my brother's happiness.' A shooting star passed by his blurring vision, and coughing up blood again, he thought. "I wish. . . for my brother's happiness." And his eyes closed on the waking world, to a serene and gentle death.  
  
"Do you think they found her yet, Kaede-baba?" Shippo asked.  
  
Just then, a bright light lit up the Western Skies, more brilliant even than the sun itself, and with a small smile, Kaede answered. "Yes, Shippo. I believe they have."  
  
-------------  
  
well, one more chapter to go! This story has been so sad! But don't worry, I promise a happy ending. It's been my plot since the very beginning! Hehe. TTFN. 


	6. Chapter Six: And he Smiled

Wow! The Last Chapter! Dang! I wrote this story quick!  
  
Uh, I still don't own Inuyasha. . . frowns. But, there IS this white dog that lives down the street from me. . .  
  
--------------  
  
"Brothers After All"  
  
by: Banshee Puppet  
  
Chapter Six: And he Smiled  
  
As the morning sun peeked through the blinds, Kagome nuzzled deeper into the warm arms beside her, at which they tightened protectively around her and grumbled something about the evil sun.  
  
"Morning," he whispered, a vague humor in his voice.  
  
With a large yawn, she stretched out and looked blearily up into amber eyes. "Mornin' Sess," she whispered, remembering that he'd stayed over last night, since her family was out of town for assorted reasons and wouldn't be back until tomorrow.  
  
Sesshomaru. She was so totally in love with him. He was a few years older than she was, and an artist. He'd spent half the night before drawing her. . . nude. She blushed at the memory, and at what they'd done with the rest of the night before falling asleep in one another's arms.  
  
He smirked down at her and propped himself up on one elbow, brushing a few strands of raven hair from her face. "Talk," he said. "I know you want to. It's not in your nature to stay quiet for very long."  
  
She looked up at him and crinkled her nose, which he kissed, thinking to himself about how cute she was and how lucky he was to be able to call Higurashi Kagome his girlfriend. The entire moment gave him a feeling of déjà vu though.  
  
"I was just thinking about last night," she said.  
  
"You slept alright?"  
  
"Yeah, you too?" she returned.  
  
"Mn. I had the WEIRDEST dream though."  
  
"Oh tell me tell me!" she grinned up at him.  
  
"Well, I was a inu-taiyoukai, and you were, well, you. . . and my little brother wanted me dead, and there was this other girl, a miko, and she looked just like you. And then. . . "  
  
"KAGOME!! I'M HOME!" the voice came from downstairs.  
  
"Damn! It's my mother!" Kagome said in hurried whispers, leaping out of bed and throwing her nightshirt on.  
  
"You said she wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow!" Sesshomaru half- hissed as he grabbed his jeans and began in the frantic attempt to get dressed as quietly as possible before his girlfriend's mother made it upstairs and found a naked high school boy in her room. 'Hell of a way to make a first impression,' he thought, his mind still full of his dream, and the memory of his brother dying, or a bright white light flashing across the sky before he woke up.  
  
"SHE said she would be back tomorrow!" Kagome hissed back as they heard footsteps on the stairs.  
  
"Kagome, you'd better hurry up or you're going to be late for school!" her mother called.  
  
Kagome shoved the rest of Sesshomaru's clothes in his hands before he had a chance to finish buttoning his shirt and hissed, "get in the closet!"  
  
Sesshomaru couldn't help a little amusement at that. "You want me to hide in your closet?" he whispered incredulously.  
  
"Yes! Hurry!"  
  
"Tell me you love me first," he teased.  
  
"I love you, you dork! Now get in the closet unless you want to explain to her why I have a half-naked teenage boy in my room."  
  
He smirked at her and whispered, "I love you too," before getting in the closet as she'd asked.  
  
Kagome blushed as she heard her doorknob turning.  
  
"Kagome, have you heard a single word I've said?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.  
  
"Uh, hi mom! What are you doing home so early?" Kagome asked, jumping as if startled to face her mother.  
  
'It's really dark in here,' Sesshomaru thought. 'She has an awful lot of stuff. School uniforms. Clothes. Why on Earth do girls feel the need to have so many shoes?' he wondered as he was sitting on the floor of her closet uncomfortably trying to silently get his second sock on. He turned his head slightly and something brushed up against his nose. 'A feather boa? I WILL have to tease her about. . . oh, crap.' "A-A-ACHOO!!"  
  
'Oh crap! Sess!' Kagome thought as her mother opened the closet door to find a boy with a long white ponytail sitting on the floor looking up at her with an extremely guilty expression. She turned to her daughter, who had "busted" written all over her face and said with dangerous calm on her voice, "Kagome, why is there a teenage boy in your closet?"  
  
"Uh. . . a-anou. . . erm. . . " Kagome took a deep breath. "Mom, that's Sesshomaru. He's Inuyasha's brother, and, um. . . he's an artist."  
  
"Kagome, none of this explains what he's doing in your closet."  
  
"You wouldn't believe that he's doing a project on shoes, would you?" Kagome tried.  
  
"No," her mother answered flatly, taking a deep breath.  
  
Meanwhile, Sesshomaru had managed his way out of the closet and took his own deep breath before speaking. "My apologies, Mrs. Higurashi, but I happen to be madly in love with your daughter."  
  
"And THAT is why you were in her closet?" she asked him, trying to hold in a laugh at the entire bizarre situation, remembering that she and Kagome's father had had just this same dilemma once.  
  
"Well. . . " Sesshomaru said slowly, as if trying to decide on the right answer. "Pretty much. . .yes."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi looked at the boy and said, "I think you should get going now, Sesshomaru. Or you'll be late for school."  
  
"Um. . . o-okay then," he said, slipping quickly into his shoes and grabbing his book bag out of the corner before opening the door.  
  
"Love you!" Kagome called to him.  
  
He turned and smiled awkwardly at her, with her mom standing there and looking rather imposing at the moment, but said anyway, "Love you more!" and hurried out of the house, buttoning his shirt the entire way.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi looked Kagome over, sighed, and said, trying to hold back the chuckle that was dying to escape. "Get ready for school."  
  
"H-hai!"  
  
Sesshomaru stopped and took a deep breath as he made it to the sidewalk, looking up at the sky. 'That dream felt so real. Could it really have been only a dream. It feels so much like a memory,' he mused, then shook his head. 'Great Demon of the Western Lands?' he teased himself. 'Yeah right. But still, I'm, so happy. What did I do to deserve this happiness?'  
  
He looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Gyah! If I'm late again, Professor Kanzaki will have my head!" he gulped before bolting towards the high school, before being stopped by a smirking Inuyasha, riding his bike to school.  
  
"What?" Sesshomaru asked flatly, frowning a bit.  
  
"You got busted," he smirked.  
  
"Like you would know."  
  
"You're shirt's buttoned wrong," Inuyasha pointed out, at which Sesshomaru blushed furiously and set about fixing it, very quickly.  
  
Inuyasha laughed. "You got busted. You got busted. Kagome's mom's gonna kick your ass!" he teased.  
  
Sesshomaru was about to say something bitter and sarcastic, like he always did to shut his brother up, but he remembered the dream he had, of Inuyasha dying, and it struck him hard in the chest. So instead, he just said, "Inuyasha. Shut up," and gave his little brother a playful slap upside the head. . . . And he smiled.  
  
~The End~  
  
------------  
  
okay, that's it folks! Should I continue this arc by writing fluffy lil' fics about Sess and Kagome in modern day? Eh. I think I'm done, unless you really want to see more of these guys. I MIGHT consider continuing. But, for all intents and purposes, this is the part of the story, on the last page of the book that reads, "and they all lived happily ever after. The End." 


End file.
